1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems having vision analysis hardware, and more particularly to systems including image digitization hardware and computer analysis of the digitized image data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Collecting, accumulating, or investing in stamps, commonly known as philately, is a widespread and popular hobby and investment pastime. Serious stamp collectors, or philatelists, concern themselves primarily with the condition of the stamp in order to determine a fair market value for the stamp. Stamps in choice condition are certainly more pleasing to own and display. The finer the condition of the stamp, the more desirable and more valuable the stamp is to other collectors.
Collectors use a classification scheme for determining the condition and/or state of preservation of stamps. The centering quality of a stamp is the positional relationship between the design and the unprinted space between the design and the edge of the stamp's paper. In order, from best to worst, the centering grades in philately are Superb, Extremely Fine, Very Fine, Fine, and Very Good. A Superb stamp is without visible flaws. It has rich color, full perforations or wide margins if an imperforate variety, full undamaged gum if mint, lightly cancelled if used, is perfectly centered as visually feasible, and with absolutely no defects. Extremely Fine stamps are about the best that can be expected of 19th Century U.S. stamps. An Extremely Fine stamp is ever so slightly off-center, but closely approaching Superb centering. Of course, it has no damages but has original gum (that may be a bit disturbed or lightly hinged) if mint. If cancelled, the cancellation is light and does not detract from the stamps overall beauty. Very fine stamps are not perfect. Most of the stamps in a high quality collection will probably grade Very Fine. Such stamps have a ready market for buying or selling, and will satisfy all but the most discriminating collectors. Very Fine stamps may be quite off center when matched next to a properly graded Extremely Fine example. Fine stamps are not damaged unless otherwise noted, have designs untouched by the perforations although it may be close, and if cancelled are not totally obliterated, and if unused have some of the original gum. Very Good stamps are quite off center with the design cut by the stamps edge or the perforations.
Stamps can be further graded below very good in the following descending order: Good, Fair and Poor. The distinction between these inferior grades is debatable. Most often they are damaged stamps with one or several devastating defects. Such defects may include: a completely obliterating cancellation mark; a large tear; one or more pin holes observable with the naked eye; large pieces of the stamp's paper torn off; ink scrapes; creases; stains; severe color changes; or no margins.
As is apparent from the above, the categorization or grading of a stamp is largely a subjective operation. Stamp grading services are available to the stamp grader, however, in regard to the grading of the centering quality of a stamp, the naked eye is the instrument used by the stamp grading services to determine centering. As reasonable minds, or naked eyes, may differ in categorizing a stamp according to centering quality, an objective system or apparatus for grading the centering quality of a stamp would certainly be welcomed by stamp collectors. A totally objective method and apparatus for grading the centering quality of a stamp will enable all stamp grading services to provide a repeatable and accurate categorization of stamp centering. An objective stamp grading system providing a numerical index for centering quality will provide an absolute criterion for centering quality and thus serve the philatelist in determining the investment or trading value of a particular stamp.
The philatelic community will directly benefit from an objective and reliable centering quality index. A standard index for centering quality will encourage sales of sight unseen stamps via stamp trading periodicals, as well as promote fair trade among philatelists by eliminating the subjective evaluation of stamp value attributable to centering.